The disclosed embodiments relate to finger and hand exercisers, and more particularly a finger and hand exerciser with multiple functions, including both compression and extension exercises, which thereby allow users to perform a vast array of different exercises.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,256 discloses a combination individual finger and entire hand exerciser. As disclosed in this patent, the exerciser includes three cooperating body members, mainly an upper body member, a centrally disposed body member and a lower body member. The body member is provided to promote individual finger exercising and includes four adjacent, individually independently slidable finger grips. The bottom body member is provided to promote entire hand exercising. Each of the finger grips is maintained in an initial clearance position from the centrally disposed body member by a helical spring which is disposed in an encircling relation about a pin which is slidable in the middle body member. Exposed caps of the upper body member are respectively provided on finger grips. A user may contact the caps with his fingers and press down on finger grips against the resistance of springs to exercise his fingers. It is noted that the tension in the exercising springs forming part of the finger grips is not adjustable by the user, and may provide too great or too little resistance for the user's individual fingers when the user is performing exercises with the finger and hand exerciser.
Another finger and hand exerciser is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,611 (Silagy '611). The patent discloses an exerciser where the finger plunger components that are pressed by the user are allegedly adjustable in size to accommodate the hand width and finger length dimensions of the user. This patent discloses that the finger and hand exercising device includes four resistance spring, plunger-type, finger-actuated members, each of which is attached to a base. Each finger-actuated member includes an externally threaded, height-adjusting member which is threadedly engaged with a housing and in which is received an exercise spring. Slidably disposed in relation to height-adjusting member is a tube for containing a spring. A removable cap for engagement with a user's finger is removably threaded onto tube to hold the exercising spring in place. The user may raise or lower the height of the finger-actuated members to adjust for variations in the user's finger lengths by turning threaded member in housing of each of the plungers. It should be noted from the Silagy '611 patent that the tension of the exercising springs is not individually adjustable and remains the same even as the height of the plungers is adjusted. In fact, the Silagy '611 patent teaches that the cap must be removed from tube to replace and insert an exercise spring of an appropriate construction material and helical turns or configuration to vary the exercise effort in using the device.
Still another finger exerciser is disclosed in co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 7,967,732. This patent discloses a finger and hand exerciser with a housing or base defining a plurality (typically four) chambers arranged side-by-side parallel to one another. Each chamber has a tension adjustment member in a lower portion of the chamber defined by the housing, a plunger is received and reciprocatingly slidable in an upper portion of each chamber defined by the housing, and a bias member (preferably a compression spring) extends between the plunger and the tension adjustment member in each chamber.
None of these prior art devices allows both compression and extension exercises in a single unit, and moreover allows adjustment of tension for both types of exercises. It would thus be useful to have a hand exerciser that solves these drawbacks of the prior art.